


Everything Under the Sun

by dripping_moonlight



Category: Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda) - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe, Slavery, Transphobia, part of the tem au, we got trans warriors baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:01:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23157496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dripping_moonlight/pseuds/dripping_moonlight
Summary: The transaction of a lifetime.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the Time Ex-Machina AU, which is totally not mine but which Hinn has approved me to write for. The other parts are on the LU Discord in the ELW channels. 
> 
> Vaiara is my made-up term that's the Gerudo equivalent to Madame.

He hated the high collar Vaiara made him wear. The stiff fabric itched the juncture between his neck and face, tickling him and irritating his skin, but he could do nothing to lessen the discomfort lest he be yelled at by the adults for being immodest. As if one less fabric would make that much of a difference. 

But, oh, he hoped it would. He hoped he could escape the sweltering layers he had to wear to please the Hylians--like he cared what some conquerors thought. He looked to the sun. Despite what the Hylians may think, the sun was not the cause of their discomfort, but their utterly inappropriate attire. Two layers of undergarments, a chestpiece that attempted to accentuate what he didn’t have, a layer to protect that, an underlayer to protect the “good” fabrics, more layers for volume, then finally the outermost layer. Insanity, these people. 

Someone was calling his name. He needed water. He looked around, searching for the sound of his name, until he found Vaiara gesturing for him from besides a soldier. He made his way over to the two, swishing his hips with fervor in the hopes the swish of the damn skirt would provide him with some relief, but it only seemed to please the soldier. Disgusting. 

As he approached Vaiara, he began to hear her conversation with the soldier. 

“-but she’s very adaptable, as well as amenable. What do you say, Captain?” So he was a captain in the army. Figures, those who were meant to protect him, didn’t even see him as human. He could feel the captain raking his eyes over him, trying to discern if he’d be worth it, if he’d pull through on Vaiara’s promises. 

“How much?” He spoke at last, his voice deep and steady, but distinctly dry. Perhaps he, too, was feeling the effects of ill clothes in the desert. 

Vaiara took a moment to look him over as well, then at the captain, most likely trying to find how much she could scam him for. He’d never been worth much, she’d told him repeatedly. 

“Human personnel is increasingly harder to find, Captain, what with Her Majesty’s restrictions and all. I’m afraid I can’t do less than 300.” Higher than he expected, truth be told, but still far less than the 500 his roommate had been sold for just two weeks ago. 

“Vaiara, do you take me for a fool? I hear of your magic with girls of all dispositions, but simply looking at her...Her countenance cannot be called beautiful.” False. He had seen the captain call over a few soldiers to look at him, and he had not put on a display of his sweeping skills for them to assess. “100.”

“Captain! It’s not merely her countenance nor her skills you are paying for, but my handiwork in turning her into a respectable maiden. 250.”

“200.”   
  


“Deal.”

\--

He looked at the sun. Everything may change, but the sun was always the same. Always blazing, always stationary, always-

“Oi! Gerudo! Get back to work!”   
  


Interrupted. 

He picked up the straw broom again, walking it over to the well to exchange it for the mop, and began his journey across the camp once more, this time considerably wetter than the last. 

The Minish Woods were considerably cooler than his native Gerudo Valley, but the summer heat was present nonetheless. His clothes were much less restrictive than the ones he’d worn on Sale Day, more worthy of the maid he was than the pristine dress Vaiara made for all her charges, but they were still more constricting than the silk sirwal he was used to wearing. 

It had been three months since Vaiara had sold him off to the Captain. From the soldiers’ reactions, he was pretty sure the transaction was illegal, but they were stationed too far from any point of governance to be admonished by the Knights of Hyrule, much less the Queen herself. He had caught more than a few recruits looking at him for too long, but he wasn’t even sixteen--the Gerudo minimum--yet, so he was safe, at least for now. 

“Are you even listening?” He had gotten lost in thought again, but it was hard not to when his duties required little cognitive attention. He looked up to see the offending captain. “Pack your shit, Gerudo, we’re moving. Going to see your old pals for a while. Don’t get too excited.”

He was going home. And he’d make sure he never saw the captain again. 


	2. Chapter 2

It had taken them nearly a month to arrive at the Valley, but at last they were there, and they were safe. Though the lengths the captain had gone to protect his little maid from the many attackers they met on their journey worried Warriors. Especially considering the price, he should have been more than replaceable should he have been killed or otherwise compromised by the enemy, but the captain had given him a spot within his personal carriage. 

It felt good to be back under the blistering sun of the desert. He had missed the way its rays dug into his skin, stinging him with little shots of happiness straight into his veins. The change in outfit was also for the better. Perhaps it was for the men's amusement, but Warriors would never turn down to wear his native silks. 

  
  


He hadn't been allowed to enter the town, of course, given the fact all the soldiers were men and no one would be allowed to supervise him inside, but that didn't matter either. Those people had thrown him away as a babe, and the one who took him in had sold him off to a colonizer not fifteen years later. They cared not for him, so he cared not for them. It was the sun he was after, the pinching of the sands between his toes. It was the freedom from their gazes, the ability to choose. He had lost that a few months ago, but he was already planning on how to steal them right back. 

The little creature on his shoulder chirped--he had to get back to work. The soldiers were coming back from their exercises and they would be expecting lunch to be ready. Warriors smiled at the tiny thing--it was almost rat-like in appearance, but with a distinctly feathered tail and somewhat human eyes--giving it a snack of the cheese with which he was working with.

It had come to him the night before they departed the Minish Woods, squeaking in what Warriors could only interpret as terror. That night when Warriors should have been sleeping to gather energy for the next day's journey, he instead stayed up with Minish, as Warriors had named it on the fact that it came from those woods, feeding it and comforting it until he eventually passed out in exhaustion, woken only by the captain's thunderous voice. 

But now they were on the other side of the kingdom, and Minish no longer squeaked in terror, but as an alarm for Warriors to go back to his chores before the mean men came to yell at him. 

Warriors resumed his stirring of the pot of porridge, but Minish did not rest. It squealed louder, even pulling at Warrior's ears. Warriors shrugged his shoulders to shake Minish, but still it did not relent. 

"Alright fine Mr. Not-a-mouse, what do you want?" he whispered. 

Minish tapped his shoulder thrice, their sign that he wanted to be placed on Warriors' head. Warriors brought his left hand to his right shoulder, waiting for Minish to climb aboard, then lifted his hand up to the crown of his head. 

It took hold of a chunk of Warriors' hair, one section in each little hand--paw?--and began tugging the right side. So he was now a horse too, okay. 

Warriors began walking in the direction of the tugging, exiting the camp kitchen through the back, dodging between the few guards left.

He exited camp under the guidance of the forest creature, and made his way over to the walls of the city. He could very easily walk in--the guards still knew who he was--but Minish grew angry when he tried to go towards the main entrance. It continued to lead him along the walls, until Warriors himself began to hear a strange noise coming from what should be the aqueducts. 

Stopping to determine the exact nature of the noise, Warriors found he couldn't quite discern what it was, but based on the happy taps on his head, it was what Minish had been wanting him to find. 

Warriors followed the noise through the wall: it was too loud to be a simple rat, but he knew sandseals wouldn't be able to make their way inside; a monster then? there was a faint sound of clinking metal, but the city was too noisy, and frankly too well-guarded, for any monster with half a brain to come so close. 

He finally came across an entrance to the duct. It was locked. He tried jiggling the handle a few times, but feared the noise may attract guards. Even Minish tried to dig its tiny fingers into the keyhole, but the old metal simply ended up cutting the creature. 

Warriors stepped back. Whatever was in there had found a way through a door, so he should be able to as well. He raked his hand through his hair, feeling a bobby pin fall out of place.

Ahah! He took the metal pin, bending it out of its intended shape, to one more akin to a key. He shoved it into the keyhole, wiggling a few times until the rusted metal finally gave way.

Warriors made his way inside, making sure Minish was safely in, before locking the door behind him. The cool of the chamber was more than welcome after the hours he had spent under the desert sun, and Warriors took a minute to embrace the chill of the water against his sun-kissed skin. 

But then the noise started up again, and Minish was pulling at his hair once more. Left turn. Right turn. Stop. Turn around. Other right. Warriors hoped Minish knew where he was going, for he had lost tract three right turns ago. 

Not long after entering, shuffling on his knees grew painful, and he was forced to crouch into a four limbed crawl to better distribute his weight. He crawled through a few more tunnels, his heart beginning to grow heavy at the thought of never finding his way out again. 

Left turn. Left again. 

There was a man.

"You're contaminating the water supply," Warriors greeted the man, lowering the pitch of his voice as much as possible while also trying to prevent it from shaking.

The man squinted his eyes at him. "I'm sneaking into your city and all you care about is me contaminating the water supply?"

"Water is hard to come by in the desert, sir. I'll have to report you-"

The man rushed to cover his mouth. He placed a finger over his own lips, letting out a quiet "shh" before pointing to one of the walls. So he wanted his silence. But what would he be willing to pay? 

Warriors started again, this time whispering directly into the man's ears, "What do you want from the city? I'll get it for you," he paused, "for a price."

The man looked him over a few times. Sure, the apron would look out of place in the city, but the man was in no position to call his bluff, especially when they could hear someone outside complaining about the water pressure. 

"They'll be flushing the ducts in a few. Follow me outside if you don't want to die in this hole." Warriors turned around, letting Minish guide him back to their entrance. He did not turn around to see if the man was following-- the sound of his sword hitting the floor was loud enough.


End file.
